Filmmaker Blitz Bazawule, best known for directing the critically-acclaimed movie The Color Purple, will helm the upcoming Black Samurai movie for Warner Bros. According to Variety, the Hollywood studio has acquired the rights for Black Samurai after a competitive bidding process.
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The project is set to narrate the story of Yasuke, the Japanese name of a samurai of African origin who fought under a Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga during the 1580s. The character has inspired several artists to write books and create projects about him, most recent being a Netflix animated show Yasuke, which voice starred Lakeith Stanfield.
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Bazawule, a Ghanaian filmmaker, author and musician, wrote the script and will also produce through his banner Inward Gaze. Black Samurai reunites the director with Warner Bros, which had also backed his 2023 musical drama The Color Purple, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Colman Domingo. His other feature projects include The Burial of Kojo, Black is King and short film Diasporadical Trilogia.